Phobos and Deimos

Some important information about Phobos and Deimos.
http://spisu.isunet.edu/files/Abstracts/Mistry%20-%20Human%20exploration%20of%20Phobos%20and%20Deimos.pdf

Kush Agrawal

Some good links for basic information

I found a few good links at the NASA and arssdc wesbsites you guys should have a look at.
These links will give you background information you need to design your own space colony

Needs of the the people in space settlements.
http://settlement.arc.nasa.gov/designer/needs.html

Formulas, facts
http://settlement.arc.nasa.gov/designer/tables.html

For Mathematical Calculations.

Computer assisted design (CAD)
http://settlement.arc.nasa.gov/designer/sphere.html

Life Support Systems. (CELSS)
http://www.nas.nasa.gov/Services/Education/SpaceSettlement/designer/regen.html

Some good pictures at
http://members.nova.org/~sol/station/settle-p.htm
 
Some of these links may not be of immediate use, but will definitely help out later.
Kush Agrawal

Mars

Assertion that solar irradiance is causing global warming on Mars

Despite the absence of a time series for Martian global temperatures, K.I. Abdusamatov has proposed that "parallel global warmings — observed simultaneously on Mars and on Earth some global warming skeptics think this is proof that human are not casing global warming— can only be a straightline consequence of the effect of the one same factor: a long-time change in solar irradiance." Abdusamatov's hypothesis has not been published in the peer-reviewed literature. His assertions have been dismissed by other scientists, who have stated that "the idea just isn't supported by the theory or by the observations" and that it "doesn't make physical sense." Other scientists have proposed that the observed variations are caused by irregularities in the orbit of Mars or a possible combination of solar and orbital effects.

sahil nakul mathur

Mars

Evidence of Frozen Water

Ice Patches

On July 28, 2005, the European Space Agency announced the existence of a crater partially filled with frozen water; some then interpreted the discovery as an "ice lake". Images of the crater, taken by the High Resolution Stereo Camera on board the European Space Agency's Mars Express spacecraft, clearly show a broad sheet of ice in the bottom of an unnamed crater located on Vastitas Borealis, a broad plain that covers much of Mars' far northern latitudes, at approximately 70.5° North and 103° East. The crater is 35 km wide and about 2 km deep.

The height difference between the crater floor and the surface of the water ice is about 200 metres. ESA scientists have attributed most of this height difference to sand dunes beneath the water ice, which are partially visible. While scientists do not refer to the patch as a "lake", the water ice patch is remarkable for its size and for being present throughout the year. Deposits of water ice and layers of frost have been found in many different locations on the planet.

Equatorial Frozen Sea

Surface features consistent with pack ice have been discovered in the southern Elysium Planitia. What appear to be plates of broken ice, ranging in size from 30 m to 30 km, are found in channels leading to a flooded area of approximately the same depth and width as the North Sea. The plates show signs of break up and rotation that clearly distinguish them from lava plates elsewhere on the surface of Mars. The source for the flood is thought to be the nearby geological fault Cerberus Fossae which spewed water as well as lava aged some 2 to 10 million years.[85] Not all scientists agree with these conclusions.

Glaciers

Glaciers formed much of the observable surface in large area of Mars. Much of the area in high latitudes, especially the Ismenius Lacus quadrangle, is believed to still contain enormous amounts of water ice. Recent evidence has led many planetary scientists to believe that water ice still exists as glaciers with a thin covering of insulating rock.Fretted terrain, many volcanoes, even some craters are believed to have many glaciers. Ridges of debris on the surface of the glaciers show the direction of ice movement. The surface of some glaciers has a rough texture due to sublimation of buried ice. The ice goes directly into a gas (this process is called sublimation) and leaves behind an empty space. Overlying material then collapses into the void.Glaciers are not pure ice; they contain dirt and rocks. At times, they will dump their load of materials into ridges. Such ridges are called moraines. Some places on Mars have groups of ridges that are twisted around; this may have been due to more movement after the ridges were put into place. Sometimes chunks of ice fall from the glacier and get buried in the land surface. When they melt and more or less round hole remains. On Earth we call these features kettles or kettle holes. Mendon Ponds Park in upstate NY has preserved several of these kettles. The picture from HiRISE below shows possible kettles in Moreux Crater.

Other pictures below show various features that appear to be connected with the existance of glaciers.

Moreux Crater moraines and kettle holes, as seen by HIRISE. Location is Ismenius Lacus quadrangle.

Clanis and Hypsas Valles, as seen by HiRISE. Ridges are probably due to glacial flow. So water ice is under a thin layer of rocks. Location is Ismenius Lacus quadrangle.

Gullies and possible remains of old glaciers in a crater in Eridania quadrangle, north of the large crater Kepler. One suspected glacier, to the right, has the shape of a tongue. Image taken with Mars Global Surveyor.

Tributary Glacier, as seen by HiRISE. Location is Ismenius Lacus quadrangle.

Coloe Fossae Lineated Valley Fill, as seen by HiRISE. Scale bar is 500 meters long. Location is Ismenius Lacus quadrangle.

Tongue-Shaped Glacier, as seen by Mars Global Surveyor. Location is Hellas quadrangle.

Polar Ice Caps

The Mars Global Surveyor acquired this image of the Martian north polar ice cap in early northern summer.

Both the the northern polar cap (Planum Boreum) and the southern polar cap (Planum Australe) are believed to grow in thickness during the winter and partially sublime during the summer. Data obtained by the Mars Express satellite, made it possible in 2004 to confirm that the southern polar cap has an average of 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) thick slab of CO2 ice[89] with varying contents of frozen water, depending on its latitude; the polar cap is a mixture of 85% CO2 ice and 15% water ice.[90] The second part comprises steep slopes known as 'scarps', made almost entirely of water ice, that fall away from the polar cap to the surrounding plains.[90] The third part encompasses the vast permafrost fields that stretch for tens of kilometres away from the scarps. NASA scientists calculate that the volume of water ice in the south polar ice cap, if melted, would be sufficient to cover the entire planetary surface to a depth of 11 metres.

Results, published in 2009, of radar measurements of the North Polar ice cap determined that the volume of water ice in the cap is 821,000 cubic kilometers (197,000 cubic miles). That's equal to 30% of the Earth's Greenland ice sheet or enough to cover the surface of Mars to a depth of 5.6 meters (dividing this volume by the surface area of Mars is how this number is found). The radar instrument is onboard the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter.

Ground Ice

For many years, various scientists have suggested that some Martian surfaces look like Periglacial regions on Earth. Sometimes it is said that these are regions of Permafrost. These observations suggest that frozen water lies right beneath the surface. A common feature in the higher latitudes, Patterned ground, can occur in a number of shapes, including stripes and polygons. On the Earth, these shapes are caused by the freezing and thawing of soil. There are other types of evidence for large amounts of frozen water under the surface of Mars, such as terrain softening which rounds sharp topographical features.

sahil nakul mathur

Structures and Resources-Potentially Useful Info

Hey everyone.

Here is a link to th homepage of the NASA Space Settlement Contest this contains further full downloadables PDF files of all the winners till 2009. This may help us rule out what kind of structure to consider in order to avoid repetition and preserve the uniqueness of whatever we will design.

http://settlement.arc.nasa.gov/Contest/

Also, since the proposed space city will be in Mars's lower orbit, a few links on the basic resources that may be exploited:-

And all of you MUST do up the Wiki page.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mars

Also see:-

http://videos.howstuffworks.com/tlc/30786-destination-mars-making-fuel-from-mars-atmosphere-video.htm

(^ Its a good video,do see it.)

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/08/05/MN0G1253QT.DTL

Any potential in the polar Ice Caps? (As discussed in the meeting)
Do check:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Planum_Australe
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Planum_Boreum


Till then, all you inactive members-get cracking,won't you?

Sannidhi Sharma
Email: sannidhisharma@hotmail.com

meeting

meeting in break.please attend.
research topic is "survival systems and waste management"
please come prepared with you study data.